You've Got a Friend In Me
by Bride of Thranduil
Summary: It seemed too convenient that Levi was always hanging around Cath's room and wanted to date her. This is Fangirl with my own alternative Levi character. I also felt like Cath forgave Wren a little too quickly at the end, so this is a slightly spunkier Cath. It starts when Wren and Cath are home for Christmas break. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

You've Got a Friend In Me

A/N: It seemed too convenient that Levi was constantly hanging around Cath's room and wanted to date her. This is my story with an alternate Levi and a slightly spunkier Cath. I felt like she forgave Wren a little too easily. My story starts when Wren and Cath are home for Christmas vacation. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fangirl. I'm just a fangirl… of Fangirl.

Chapter 1: Calling Abel

Cath checked her phone for the tenth time in as many minutes. She was anxious. She was upset. She really needed to talk to someone. Not being able to talk to Wren felt like not having an appendage. It was like suddenly looking down and finding out that your left arm wasn't where it was supposed to be, where it had always been. Of course she didn't have any missed calls from Wren. They weren't really speaking. Cath realized that for the first time in a long time, she felt angry. She was angry at Wren. Wren was being a shitty sister. Wren knew that she was Cath's go-to person and she acted like she didn't care. Cath hadn't been angry when their mom had left. At the time she'd been too hurt, but she was angry now. All these years later, she was furious. That necklace under the tree had really sent her over the edge. What did Laura think? Did she think that a necklace made up for years of neglect? And what was wrong with Wren? Did she think that after all this time the three of them could just pick up where Laura left them? Maybe Wren could, but Cath couldn't.

Something bubbled in Cath's stomach. She felt sick. She stared up at the ceiling in the room she had always shared with Wren and fought the urge to scream. Her dad was downstairs. If she screamed, he would come up here and insist that they talk. There was nothing wrong with talking to him. He was actually a pretty good listener, but he had enough of his own shit to deal with right now. Her dad was also just one more thing that she shared with Wren. She was tired of sharing things with her. She was tired of doing all the sharing and having Wren share nothing in return. Cath still couldn't believe Wren hadn't talked to her about getting back in touch with their mother. She felt the burning sensation again in her stomach. She needed to talk to someone who belonged to only to her and not to Wren. There was only one person who came to mind.

Her dad hadn't batted an eye when she said she was borrowing the car. He'd been riveted to a documentary on frozen food. She didn't think he'd even really seen her leave. She found herself at Abel's house quicker than she'd thought possible. Now that she was parked in his driveway, she wondered if this was such a great idea. She was his ex-girlfriend, after all. She was his ex-girlfriend and she was creepily sitting in his driveway. Screw this, she thought. She didn't have anything to lose. She and Abel weren't talking. If he thought this was weird, he'd go back to school and they'd go right on not talking.

Cath had never seen Abel look so surprised when he answered the door. At least she could say she'd gotten him to change his expression.

"Cath?" he asked, knitting his thick eyebrows together until they looked like one solid mass.

"Hi," she said, not making eye contact, "I'm sorry to just drop by like this, but do you have some time to talk?"

One minute and one awkward hello to the rest of the family later, she and Abel were sitting cross legged on his double bed.

"I'm not here to tell you I love you or anything," Cath blurted. "I just wanted to put that out there right away."

Abel laughed, "Duly noted. What's on your mind, Cath? You've never just shown up at my house like this, not even when we were dating."

Cath sucked in a long breath and let go of everything she'd been holding in. She told him how nervous and uncomfortable she felt about living in a new place. She told him about how Levi was constantly hanging around and driving her crazy. She even told him about the party where she had seen him kissing another girl. She talked about how Wren had turned into an unrecognizable party girl she couldn't depend on and about her dad's break down. She even told him about her terrible grade in fiction writing. Finally, she told him about her mom's Christmas present. When everything was out, she finally stopped.

"Are you going to say anything?" she asked after what seemed like a longer pause than was comfortable.

"This is the first time I've had a chance."

"Sorry for dumping all that on you. I just really needed to talk and you were the only person who was more my friend than Wren's."

It was unexpected, but not unwelcome, when Abel reached over and took Cath's hand. "I'm still your friend, Cath. I hope you know that."

Cath fought not to tear up. That was a really good line. "I know that, Abel. I mean, I know it now. I think that's what we really were. What you said when you called me back in the fall, it was the truth. We were always more like friends than a couple. I should have told you then that I didn't want to lose that." She did tear up then and her nose started to run. Abel threw a box of tissues at her.

"You're worse than the telenovelas my grandma watches," he told her.

She laughed threw her snot. "Alberto, I have to tell you that I'm pregnant with Fabrizio's baby."

"Alberto and Fabrizio?"

"What? Those could be Spanish names."

"Are there any actual Hispanic people in Lincoln?"

Wren shrugged, "A few. I think Wren is dating a Hispanic guy."

"Is she dating him, or are they just banging?"

Wren threw a pillow at him.

"What? Your sister always had a reputation as more of a free spirit. I'm not saying it's a bad thing."

"Do you think I'm being an uptight bitch to her?"

"I think she's being a bitch to you.

"That's not fair!"

"Cath, I know you and Wren stuck together growing up, but don't make excuses for her now. She knows you're in a tough spot and she hasn't done anything to try to help you. You would never do that to her. Refusing to return your calls when she knows you don't like new places sucks, but this thing with your mom is a whole new level of shitty for her. She had to have known how upset you'd be when she put that necklace under the tree, but she did it anyway. She wasn't thinking about you'd feel. It's totally up to you if you want to talk to your mom again. Wren keeps saying that she wants the two of you to be different, but it sounds like she only wants it when it suits her. Stick to your guns on this one. It's your choice."

She blew her nose loudly. Abel smiled. He used to say that when she blew her nose it sounded like swans trumpeting. Cath scooted over and put her arm around his shoulders in a side hug. "Thanks, Abel. I've missed your no-bullshit approach to solving my problems."

"It's easy to be no bullshit about someone else's problems. How they handle them doesn't really affect your life."

"I've also missed your empathy."

"I've sincerely missed your sarcasm. How about that?"

She snorted, "Sincerely?"

Abel wiggled his eyebrows dramatically, "You'll never know."

By the time she left, Cath felt lighter than she had in weeks, maybe in months. She had at least one real friend who wasn't Wren. It wasn't much, but it was more than she'd thought she had this morning.


	2. Unexpected Pleasures

A/N: I don't know why I feel compelled to keep writing this, but I do. Thanks so much to my one reviewer and the one person who favorited this story. Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fangirl. I'm just a fangirl.

Chapter Two: Unexpected Pleasures

When Cath rolled over and opened her eyes the next morning, Wren was nowhere to be found. Cath fought the urge to roll her eyes. Then she realized there was no else here to see her. Why was she fighting it? She could roll her eyes all she wanted. She rolled them a few extra times for good measure. Staying out late was one thing, but staying out all night was ridiculous. They were home. What could she possibly have been doing that was so cool she needed stay out the entire night? "I'll give you three guesses," she muttered. She sat up. "Fuck this shit," she said to the empty room, "I'm at home. I'll say what I bloody want." She threw back her covers. She knew exactly what she wanted to say and who she wanted to say it to.

When Wren staggered upstairs roughly three hours later, Cath had pretty much finished her project. She had gone through all of their photo albums and purged them of unnecessary duplicates. Then she had pulled out the scrapbooking kit Aunt Janet had given her for Christmas three or four years ago and gone to work. She cut the photos of her and Wren into cute shapes and pasted them onto the pages in thoughtful designs. Sometimes she included little captions.

"What are you doing?" asked Wren, rubbing last night's eyeliner around on her face. Cath shrugged. "Whatever," Wren said, "I'm going to take a shower."

Cath glanced guiltily at Wren's purse. She needed her sister's help for the last part of her plan, but she didn't want to ask her. She fished Wren's phone out of her bag and punched in the passcode. Wren really needed to stop using their birthday in her passwords. If she'd gone to Laura's for Christmas then at some point, Laura must have told her where she lived. Cath scrolled through their old messages, trying to not the read them. She didn't care what their mother had to say to her sister. What could she possibly say to either of them that would make any difference?

Forty-five minutes later, after Wren had fallen into a coma in their room, Cath found herself parked outside an average looking ranch style home with a white picket fence. Tacky, she thought. Without giving it another thought, she stuffed a brown paper package in the mailbox and drove off.

Abel texted her that afternoon. "It's bargain Tuesday at the movies. Heading to see the new Schwarzenegger with friends from school. Gonna be epic. You down?"

Cath thought about it. She really thought about it. She loved going to the movies. It was the only place she could think of where people sat next to each other for hours, but didn't feel like they had to talk. She loved terrible movies even more than good ones. Terrible movies always made her feel better about her life. Good movies always made her feel worse. She texted him back, "I'm in."

Wren looked at her like she was growing an ear on her forehead when she grabbed her coat. Cath pretended not to notice, "Dad, I'm going to the movies with Abel. I'll be back later."

Then there she was, riding shotgun with the guy who used to be her boyfriend. She fidgeted with her keyring as she tried not to stare at his profile. She felt weird talking to him when he wasn't directly facing her. It made her notice what a weird shape his nose was. "So who are we meeting again?"

"My friend, Matt, and his cousin. They're members of the TAM club, too." Cath smiled in spite of her nerves. The Terrible Action Movie Club was something they had started in the ninth grade. She and Abel shared a love of the pulpiest of pulp cinema. Wren had never gotten it. It took Cath a minute to realize that she was actually excited. She was glad to be out of the house. She was glad to be away from Wren and her accusatory looks. She was glad to be away from her Dad and his fragile mental state, just for a while. She was glad to be out somewhere with a friend.

Salt crunched under Cath's boots when she hopped out of Abel's 2003 Grand Am. The snow had pretty much melted, but Omaha's public safety division was generous with their salt distribution. Abel smiled and waved to two guys. They were both thin, a little taller than Abel, and around the same age. One had a curly blonde afro and the other had short black hair. Abel introduced the guy with the afro as Matt, who lived in his dorm. "This is my cousin, Luke," Matt said. Luke didn't say anything.

It felt like hours had gone by when the movie finished. Cath liked that. She always felt like movies were longer the first time you watched them. As expected, Arnold had killed all the bad guys and rescued the very inconveniently dressed super model, even though this time the super model was his daughter. Apparently the writers felt like he looked too old to date this one, even though he probably dated women her age in real life.

"You guys want to get something to eat?" Abel asked.

It was unanimously agreed that the Chili Cheese Dog was the place to go, and the four of them found themselves seated at a booth in the back of the restaurant where they were practically the only customers. Cath thought this was brilliant. She stared out the dirty window at the Omaha she knew and loved as Abel and Matt debated the finer nuances of Shwarzenneger's performance. It took her a minute before she realized Luke had asked her a question.

"Sorry?"

"I said, so you go to UNL?"

She nodded, "I'm a freshman."

H nodded back, "I'm a sophomore."

This was stimulating so far. "What's your major?"

"Chemical engineering. What's yours?"

"English."

"It gets better, you know. Freshman year is the worst."

"Sage advice from the wise sophomore?"

"Yeah, right. Someone should shoot me if I ever try to give life advice."

Cath must have looked startled because he smiled after that. It made him look more balanced. "So do you still live on campus?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have a single in Rutledge. Last year I had this awful roommate who came back drunk and threw up in the room every weekend. It was the worst."

"That does sound pretty bad. My roommate's boyfriend is always over. Actually, I guess they're not dating, but he's still always there. Even when she's not."

"I don't know why people think that's okay. If he's not on your lease and he doesn't pay your rent, I don't think he has a right to be over at your place all the time. I wouldn't be okay with that."

Cath wanted to cry with relief. Finally, someone who understood.

"It could be worse though," Luke said, "Matt's roommate tried to hook up with a girl while Matt was in the room."

They spent the rest of the meal trading terrible roommate stories and by the end of it, Cath felt a lot better. She wasn't the only person who didn't love her roommate.

Cath and Wren didn't talk at all on the trip back to campus. Cath had promised her dad she'd stay for one more semester. That was really all the could say for now. It was all she had to give. She still thought she'd be happier living at home and going to UNO, but she could wait for a few more months. She reminded herself that Abel had gone back to school too, so he wouldn't be around to hang out even if she was living at home. That helped a little.

She'd been back for three days when she got a text from an unknown number.

 _Hey, this is Luke. I got your number from Matt, who got it from Abel. I hope that's not weird. I know we didn't get a chance to talk that much after the movie, but I noticed you were wearing a Simon Snow shirt. There's a comic convention next weekend in Omaha and some of the Simon Snow cast is going to be there. Let me know if you're interested._

Cath's heart rate doubled. In truth, she did think it was a little weird that he had her number. She made a mental note to tell Abel not to give it out to any random guy who asked. _Let me know if you're interested_. How could she not be interested? It was her childhood dream. This was her chance to be in the same room as some of the Simon Snow actors. And that room was in Omaha. She texted Luke back.

 _I'm definitely interested! How are you getting there? I don't have a car._

 _My brother is coming to pick me up. Will you be done with classes by 4 on Friday?_

Cath wanted to cry she was so happy. Going to a comic convention with Simon Snow celebrities would probably be enough to make her cry any day, but this meant she could go home for the weekend. Next weekend was Martin Luther King weekend, which meant no classes on Monday. She could spend three whole days at home. She could make it that far. Making it through the whole semester seemed terrible, but she could make it until next weekend.


	3. Comic Mania

Chapter 3: Comic Mania

A/N: I'm not sure if I should continue this or not. I'm kind of leaving it at a good stopping point. I don't exactly have plans for Cath and Luke. Are you guys interested in seeing more of their relationship?

Cath pulled nervously at her ponytail as she stood outside her building. Did she look like someone who was waiting to get picked up for a date? Because that's totally not what she was doing. She hadn't talked to Wren at all since they'd been back and she'd managed to completely avoid Levi. So far things were going pretty well. She hoped she could just keep on avoiding her problems for the rest of the semester. A red pick-up pulled into the fire lane and honked. Luke waived to her from the passenger window. Cath climbed in with her backpack and Luke slid over into the middle of the seat.

He pointed to the driver, "Cath, this is my brother, Ted. Ted, this is Cath. She's a friend of a friend and a fellow Simon Snow fan."

Ted looked like an NFL linebacker, but Cath was pleasantly surprised to find that he was a legitimate Simon Snow fan. He knew the books and the movies and he and Luke had actually been to some other conventions. They agreed that the best one had been in Kansas City, where the actor who played The Mage had held a panel. Cath watched their easy banter with a lump in her throat. It was nice to see siblings who were on speaking terms. They dropped Cath off at her front door two hours later. "We'll pick you up at 8 tomorrow for the Con. We don't want to miss any of the good panels!" Luke said and then they were gone in a huff of dust and smoke. The pick-up had seen better days. Cath sighed and headed inside, hoping she could convince her dad to go to the Taco truck for dinner.

The Con was everything she hoped it would be and more. Much, much more. Cath waited in line to have her picture taken with several actors who had minor roles in the Simon Snow movies. She waited in line to buy overpriced Simon Snow souvenirs. She waited in line to get a seat for panels where guests asked the Simon Snow cast and crew questions. The funny thing was, she didn't mind the waiting at all. She was with Luke and Ted most of the time and instead of feeling more awkward, the way she usually did when she stood with people she didn't know for long periods of time with nothing to do, she started to feel more comfortable with them. She told them about how much the Simon Snow franchise had meant to she and Wren growing up and she learned more about them, too. She found out that Ted was two years older and that he'd flunked out of UNO. "I didn't do very well living in a dorm environment," he said. "There was always someone around to hang out with and given the choice, I'd always rather chill with someone than study. You can guess how well that went over when it came to my grades." He didn't seem stupid to Cath, but she could tell he meant what he said. He probably would pick socializing over studying at every turn. It kind of reminded her of Levi. She pushed that thought away. It was too painful. If Ted was embarrassed about his failure as a student, he didn't show it. "I moved back home and started taking classes at the community college. Once I finished up there I transferred to UNO. Things have been going pretty well. I got my old part-time job back and my high school girlfriend and I got back together. I'm just not the type of person who can resist temptation. Unlike this guy," he clapped Luke on the back.

Luke winced under the weight of the clap. "Yeah, you say that now. Don't believe everything he says, Cath. He makes it sound like everything was hunky dory after he moved back, but I had to beg my parents to let me go away for school. They said they didn't want to waste the money if all I was going to do was party. Never mind that Ted and I have completely different personalities. I'd pick a good book over a good conversation any day. Actually, scratch that. I'd pick a mediocre book over a great conversation any day, and there aren't actually that many great conversations being had around UNL. It's mostly dumb girls wearing too much make up talking about who they made out with last night and guys in matching polos talking about who they wish they had made out with."

Cath was insanely glad that she was talking to them. Talking to Ted made her think maybe it wasn't too late for Wren to pull herself together. If he could get his life back on the right track, then she could, too. Maybe she would get tired of all the crazy partying and start living a normal life again. Talking to Luke made her feel like she wasn't a crazy person. She wasn't the only person who didn't love the social environs of college. There were others like her out there. They were just harder to find.

She couldn't believe it when the day was over. She couldn't remember when she had smiled more or talked to more people. She had decided to be bold and wear her Carry On, Simon shirt from Etsy. People kept coming up to her and asking her about it and several of them asked to take her picture. She thought about telling people that she was actually MagiCath, but she wasn't quite that bold. She was surprised when Luke brought it up on the way home.

"Is that a slash fic?" he asked, indicating her shirt. She didn't expect him to even know what slash was. He seemed so normal. Her surprise must have shown because he laughed and said, "Don't look so surprised. I was really into shipping Spock and Kirk for a while. I'm not gay, but the female characters in Star Trek always seem unnecessary." She made a mental promise to herself to never judge who someone would ship by how they looked again.

Being home felt amazing. She found that she didn't miss Wren being in their room. After sharing her room every night with Reagan, it was actually nice to have the whole thing to herself. She finally felt like she could write in peace. Her dad seemed to be doing okay and Grandma came over for dinner. By the end of the weekend, Cath felt like she was doing okay. Her life wasn't amazing or anything, but she could take six more weeks at school until spring break when she could come home again. Luke and Ted picked her up early Tuesday morning. Apparently Luke wasn't any more excited to go back to UNL than she was. That made her feel even better. It made her feel like she could carry on.


	4. Late Night Picture Show

Chapter 4

Cath had completely forgotten about the package she had wrapped in brown paper and dropped off at Laura's before she came back to school. It took her by complete surprise when she got a text from Wren on Friday night. She waited until she was alone in her dorm before she read it.

 _Did you leave a creepy package at Mom's house?_ It said.

Cath laughed. She supposed it was a little creepy now that she thought about it, but she had put some time and effort into that scrapbook. She had used pictures of Wren and her at graduation, prom, birthdays, any milestones that she could think of that their mom had missed. She had wanted to show Laura they were fine without her. They didn't need her. Their life was better without her in it. And she had been so angry. She had tapped into all the anger she had been shoving down into the pit of her stomach since she was eight years old. As she was cutting and pasting the photos into the book, she kept thinking about the important things that Laura had missed.

She'd taped in Laura's Christmas present along with a note at the end of the book. She'd found a hammer in the garage and smashed it first though. She was so proud of the note that she kept a picture of it on her phone. It was eloquent without being verbose.

 _Dear Laura,_

 _Here are some pictures of Wren and me growing up. We might look alike in these photographs, but I am not my sister. Wren may forgive you. She may feel that you have some redeeming qualities. She may even feel that an expensive Christmas present makes up for ten years of neglect, but I don't. You and I both know giving me that locket was more about making yourself feel better than expressing any real affection. Given what I remember about you from my childhood and the behavior I've witnessed recently, I believe that any relationship with you would be a poison. Please respect my wishes and never contact me again._

 _Your daughter,_

 _Cath_

 _Yeah, I did_ , Cath texted Wren, and sent her a picture of the note. She thought about adding, "And fuck you," for good measure, but she didn't.

Cath sat staring at her phone for a while waiting for Wren to respond. She didn't. Cath thought about calling home, but she tried not to talk to her dad when she was upset. It would just make him worried. She thought about calling Abel, but she was afraid that would be weird. They were back to being friends and occasionally texting each other. She didn't want to mess it up again. She texted Luke.

 _Hey! How's it going?_ She was sure that sounded as painfully awkward as it felt. Whatever. She was pretty sure he already knew how awkward she was. He responded right away.

 _Hey! It's going good. How are you?_

 _I'm fine. I was wondering you wanted to hang out this weekend. If you're too busy though, it's totally cool._ Yeah, that's me, thought Cath, totally cool. I'm definitely fooling him. It took longer for him to respond this time.

 _Yeah, that would be awesome. I'm definitely not busy. I'm pretty much a recluse whenever possible, remember? Did you have something in mind that you wanted to do?_

 _Not really. You're not the only one who's a recluse lol. Maybe we could go to one of the dining halls on campus? I'm not really up on the current social calendar._

 _Ew, we are so not going to one of the dining halls. Trust me, by next year you'll be sick of them, too._ Cath doubted that since she never ate anywhere except with Reagan or Wren. Between avoiding Levi and not talking to Wren she was pretty much back to her diet of protein bars. She got another text from Luke.

 _Have you ever been to Rocky Horror? One of the guys on my floor is in a shadow cast and he's always passing out flyers for their events._

 _I've never been and that definitely sounds better than dorm food._

 _Cool. The show is at midnight tonight in the engineering building. Should I come to your dorm and we can walk there together?_

Cath once again found herself fiddling with her pony tail waiting in the dorm lobby. This was okay. This was fine. They were just two people going to a late night movie. It definitely wasn't a date.

"What are you doing down here?" a voice behind her asked.

Cath turned around and was surprised to see Levi and Reagan standing behind her. They were both wearing coats and Reagan's eyeliner was pooled under her eyes. They looked wet and cold. Cath hadn't even realized it was snowing.

"Are you going out in this?" Reagan asked, indicating the snow. "You've got bigger balls than I do."

Cath shrugged in what she hoped was a casual manner, "I'm meeting up with a friend. We're going to Rocky Horror."

"I like Rocky Horror," Levi piped up. He liked everything. Cath still hated him a little. She appreciated that he had taken her to the hospital to see her dad, but she wasn't sure he was the type of person she was interested in going out with. She knew what a nice guy he was, but she wanted someone who was more selective. She wanted someone who could make her feel special when he smiled at her because he only smiled like that at her. Levi smiled at everyone.

"I've never been," Cath said. She bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet and silently willed the two of them to go upstairs. She didn't want to have to introduce Levi to Luke.

"Maybe we could tag along," Levi suggested, "If it's okay with your friend." Cath fought the urge to groan. This was not happening.

Reagan saved the day. "Speak for yourself," she said. "It's cold as fuck out there. I'm not leaving this building until morning."

Cath breathed a sigh of relief, but then Levi said, "Well I could still come. You two might need someone to walk you home."

Cath saw Luke coming up the steps to the dorm lobby, "We'll be fine, but thanks anyway," she said quickly and pushed the door open in front of her. She grabbed Luke by the arm and dragged him away from the building.

"Uh, hi," he said, "So who am I not meeting in your dorm?"

Cath laughed, "It's my roommate and her boyfriend."

"The one who's always at your place? Man, I think that guy's annoying and I've never even met him."

Cath nodded. Luke continued, "So have you ever been to the engineering building?"

"Nope."

"Have you been to the Friday night comedy show in the basement of the theater arts building?"

"Nope."

"How about the bowling alley?"

"You're making that one up. There's no bowling alley on campus."

"Actually there is. The bowling team mostly uses it for practice, but sometimes they let us humble regular students in, too. You should really get out and see the campus."

"The campus has other people in it."

"Point taken, but it's still fun to get out and explore. I've gone with the guys on my floor to play sardines in several of the lecture halls. It was pretty awesome."

"What's sardines?"

"It's like hide and seek, but a bunch of people are it. Every time someone who's it finds someone who's hiding, they hide with them. You usually end up with a lot of people crammed into some very interesting places."

"You were playing hide and seek in one of the lecture halls?"

"Don't knock it until you try it. Next time, you should come."

Cath didn't have anything to say to that. This was the exact opposite of what she expected college guys to be like. She thought everyone would be like that jerk at the bar where she had gone to check on Wren. She hated idiots and drunk idiots were worst of all.

"Is there anything I need to know about tonight?" she asked.

Luke looked startled, "What do you mean?"

"About the show. Is there anything I should know before it starts?"

He seemed to relax, "Nothing crucial. Just don't expect it to make sense. Think of it like a bad movie on the Sci-Fi channel. Just go with it. Trying to follow the plot will just leave you frustrated."

"I've got this," she thought and smiled.


	5. For the Love of Rocky

A/N: Thanks to GuestIsTheBest and Sisipho for encouraging me to pick this up again.

Summary: Cath and Luke go on a date.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 4: For the love of Rocky

Cath and Luke ended up at an all-night diner after the show. She couldn't remember having so much fun, other than the comic convention of course.

"That was so awesome."

"I thought you'd appreciate it. You have to be the right kind of person to love Rocky."

"Hey, Brad, are you an asshole?"

"Why, yes, I am. Hey, Janet, are you a slut?"

"Why, yes, I am. That was so funny! And there were so many people dressed up!"

"Yeah, there are a lot of hardcore fans out there. I draw the line at dressing up in women's clothing. I like to cosplay as much as the next nerd, but I'm not parading around anywhere in underwear."

"Wait, you do cosplay?"

"Sure. The last convention Ted and I went to we dressed up and Thor and Loki. Our costumes were quality. People kept stopping us and asking for pictures. It was awesome."

"How are you this person?"

"A lifetime of working hard at it."

They were silent for a beat. "It's nice to hear how close you are to your brother."

"We weren't always. It's kind of a recent thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we've actually gotten a lot closer since I found out I was adopted."

"Oh. That must have been a hard thing to find out."

"It made so much sense after I found out. My whole family is athletic, tan and blonde and I'm pale with black hair and I was always picked last for gym class. But I found out because I came home early one day right after I graduated from and heard my parents talking. It was like they were having a nature vs. nurture debate about Ted and me. They were pretty stressed out when he failed freshman year. Anyway, I came home and they were talking about how they were prouder of me than Ted even though I wasn't really their son."

"That's horrible."

"It was. I mean I ran out of the house and stayed with a friend for a couple of days. I started thinking about it though and I realized that I was only paying attention to part of what I'd heard. It was horrible that I wasn't really their son, but they were also proud of me. My brain sort of filtered out that part. I think they felt guilty because they felt like they should love Ted more, but they didn't. It doesn't matter if we're biologically related or not. They're my family."

"Wow, that's some heavy stuff."

"Yeah, so much for trying to keep it light on a first date."

Cath's arm stopped moving with a french-fry halfway to her mouth, "Is this a date?"

"Do you want it to be? I was hoping it was, but if you don't want it to be then that's fine, too. You seem like you'd be a cool friend to hang out."

"I seem like I'd be a cool friend?"

"Yeah, I mean, you like Rocky Horror and Simon Snow. Those are pretty much my qualifications."

"Well, thanks. And I think I do want it to be a date."

"Okay, cool."

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"I think I pretty much opened myself to that by already sharing a bunch of personal stuff with you."

"True. Are you happier now that you have a good relationship with Ted?"

Luke thought about it. "Yeah, I am. We were kind of rivals when we were kids, but it was stupid because he was always better at sports and I was always better school. We were competing in different events." He looked at Cath for a moment. "Were you happier when you were on speaking terms with your sister?"

Cath nodded, "I wish I knew what to do to fix things between us, but she's completely shut me out. She doesn't return my calls. She only texts me when she needs specific information. She never talks to our dad. It pisses me off so much."

"That sounds hard. What do you think her problem is? You guys used to be close, right?" He slurped at a chunk of ice cream that was stuck in the straw of his vanilla shake.

Cath nodded again. "We were never apart growing up, especially after our mom died. I picked UNL because she wanted to go there, but then she didn't want to be roommates or even hang out together. I'm stuck in this place where I don't know anyone and the person who's always been there for me has decided that she doesn't feel like it anymore."

Luke cleared his throat, "Is there some other stuff going on, too? I get wanting to be a separate person. You guys look alike. You lived together for eighteen years. I get wanting to do some things on her own, but you said she wasn't there for you when your dad got sick, right? And she's pushing you to work things out with your mom?"

Cath nodded miserably, "She acted like she didn't even care when Dad got sick and then she said that she thinks he chooses to let himself break down, like it's a choice he can control."

"Which you know it's not, right?"

"Right. He wishes he could control it, too. I worry about him all the time. When were home we kept an eye on him. We knew when he got out of hand. Now that's he's alone I think he got pretty far gone before anyone noticed."

"So you feel like it's your job to take care of him?"

"Can you not answer everything I say with a question, Dr. Phil?"

"Go ahead, Dr. Oz."

"It's not that it's my job. It's a thing I want to do. Dad has always been there for us as much as he could. I want to be there for him, too. Then there's this weird thing my mom. She's never done anything for us and now Wren wants to focus her time and energy on her instead of where it belongs. It's just so wrong. I sent her a 'fuck off' package."

"Your sister?"

"My mom. She gave Wren a Christmas present to put under the tree for me and I freaked out. I was like, how dare she horn in on our family Christmas. She had no right! Anyway, I put together this scrapbook of the two of us growing up. Then I shoved it in her mailbox with a note that basically said, 'This is what you missed. Now get lost.'"

"I love it. That's the most psycho-awesome thing I've ever heard."

"Looking back, it was probably more psycho than awesome. Now that you know how nuts I am, are you ready to take me home?"

"I think you're nuts in a good way, in a Rocky Horror way, and I get it. You want to be there for the people who were there for you and not for the people who weren't. That's admirable, Cath. It's what responsible people do, but if your sister doesn't feel that way, then I guess all you can do is give her some space."

"I guess. Why does it feel like she's breaking up with me?"

"Speaking of which, tonight has been fun, but I'm going to abandon you now at this diner and make you walk home alone."

"Great, you and my writing partner both."

"What?"

"I was working with this guy from my fiction class on some stuff and we would always meet at this library where he worked, but it was late and night and he never offered to walk me home."

"Cath, you have to stop hanging out with shitty people."

"I don't hang out with shitty people."

"Your sister, your roommate's boyfriend, this guy, I think there's a pattern."

"That's not fair. Mostly I don't hang out with anyone."

"Point taken. I know the value of alone time, but when you do hang out with other people you should make sure they deserve your company. If they're not super awesome, then fuck them. You'd be having a better time alone."

"Thanks for the advice."

Luke winked, "That one's on the house. So do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?"

She liked the way he said back to your dorm instead of home. This wasn't her home. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Thanks," she said when they made it to the lobby, "I'd invite you up to my room, but I'm one hundred percent sure that Reagan and Levi will be there."

"No problem," Luke said, "Have a good night."

"Hey, wait," Cath stopped him, "If it was really a date, aren't you going to try to kiss me goodnight or something?"

Luke laughed, "Should I try to? I got the feeling you might knee me in the balls or something."

Cath thought about it, "Maybe next time?"

Luke nodded, "Definitely next time. Goodnight, Cath."


	6. 15-minute walk to campus

A/N: Thanks so much to Sisipho for the encouragement! I would absolutely advocate shipping Cath and Luke! Enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Luke stared across the table at Cath who was staring morosely at her scoop of Baskin Robbins Double Fudge Chocolate. "How's it going?" he asked eventually.

"I'm looking up how to request a single in the middle of the semester."

"Okay, I'm going out on a limb and guessing things are not good between you and Reagan?"

"Reagan's fine. I've gotten used to her. It's fucking Levi. He lives in my room. Seriously, I think he only leaves to take a shower. I try to be gone as much as possible because I don't want to be around him, but I can't go anywhere else to sleep and I wish I could write in my own room. I'm exhausted from having to be everywhere else."

"Let's do a dine and ditch."  
"What?"

"Let's go the Starbucks where he works and order like twenty complicated coffees and then disappear and not pay for them."

"Don't you have to pay when you order them?"

"True. That does ruin my plan. What's his address?"

"I don't know."

"You said you went to a party at his house."

"I went with Reagan. I have no idea where we were."

"Cath, you're killing me."

"Why do you want his address?"

"So we can order a bunch of pizzas to his house in the middle of the night. They don't make you pay when you order."

"That is so twisted."

"It's twisted crust from Domino's."

"Why do I hang out with you again?"

"Because you find my gallows humor endearing?"

"This is true."

"There aren't going to be any singles available."

"How do you know?"

"In the middle of the semester, there aren't going to be any singles available anywhere on campus. I tried all last year to get one. Dorms get assigned on a lottery system and anyone who doesn't love pain and has a low number gets a single. They're gone right away."

"I hate my life."

"You can come hang out in my dorm whenever you want."

"Luke, you know I love hanging out with you, but you're another person. I'm requesting a single because I want to be alone more. If all I wanted was to be with you more, I would just do that."

"So that's a maybe on hanging out more in my dorm?"

"Why don't you go somewhere and do something?"

"I was kidding. Sorry. Does the room have to be on campus?"

Cath thought about it, "I guess not. I hadn't really thought about moving off campus this year. Why?"

"I know someone who lives in a three-bedroom apartment and just lost a roommate. You'd still have to share all the common areas, but you'd have your own bedroom and bathroom and it's probably cheaper than a dorm."

"I think my dad already paid for my housing this semester."

"Did he pay everything up front or do the installment plan?"

"Probably the installment plan."

"That's what my parents did, too. The next one isn't due until next week. They won't charge you if you move out before then."

"How do you know this empty bedroom person?"

"She's from my hometown. She graduated with Ted. She tried to help him pass his classes, but he was too far gone."

"Okay, do you want to call her? Or should I call her? Can you give me her number?"

Luke laughed, "Yeah, I'll give you her number. You can text her if you want. I'm sure she and her other roommate would be happy to have someone else move in and pay rent."

"Have I told you lately how awesome you are?"

"I think you mean how annoying I am."

"You are alternately annoying and awesome in equal measure."

"I can accept that."

Reagan slammed the door and threw off her Olive Garden uniform in favor of a pair of fuzzy pajama pants and an old t-shirt that read _Lake Crest Middle School_. "I'm going to tell Levi to stop coming over," she said.

"What? Why?"

"You know why! This is getting ridiculous. I can't have you running away all the time because you don't feel comfortable in your own room."

"That's really cool of you, Reagan, but I actually talked to someone today about moving out."

"What?! You can't leave in the middle of the semester."

"I'm not leaving school, just our room. I found someone in an off-campus apartment who was looking for a roommate. I'll have my own room and bathroom."

"Oh. Damn. Why didn't I find this person?"

"I know you wanted a single this year, so assuming they don't randomly stick another freshman in here, you can have your wish. And we can still go to the dining hall together and play 'Guess who made out last night.' I'll be on campus every day for class.

Reagan considered this, "Is this just an excuse to move somewhere so you can put up all your Simon Snow posters without worrying about someone judging you? Because I can see the life-size cutout in the closet."

Cath winced, "You know, that's definitely a positive, but I hadn't really considered it."

The next day Cath signed the withdraw papers with the student housing office and packed up most of her stuff. She had gone with Luke to meet Emma and look at the apartment. The room was smaller than her dorm, but it was all hers. The previous occupant had some kind of a life crisis and left without any warning. She'd left all of her furniture and a bunch of other random stuff like toiletries and DVDs. Cath wasn't going to admit that she was thinking about trying out that Shea Butter scrub in the bathroom and watching all the seasons of _Supernatural_ in the living room. Emma seemed nice. Cath hadn't talked to her for that long, but she seemed like the type of person who liked to stay in on Friday nights.

The room had a full bed, a desk, a dresser and a beanbag lounger. Everything was from IKEA. Cath couldn't believe someone had just left everything. When she asked Emma about it, Emma just shrugged and said she had been a "free spirit." Whatever had happened, Cath was reaping the benefits of it big time. Emma and her other roommate, Maggie, whom Cath had never met, had cleared out a shelf in the fridge for her and a cupboard in the kitchen.

"Thanks," said Cath, "but I don't actually have any kitchen stuff. I didn't need it in the dorm."

"Don't worry about it," said Emma, "You're welcome to use anything that's here. We just figured we'd clear out a space in case you wanted to bring anything. We usually go grocery shopping together on Sundays if you want to come. We're not crazy into family dinners or anything, but sometimes one of us cooks and we all eat together."

Cath nodded. That sounded… nice. It sounded so normal. Living in a dorm was such an unnatural environment. Why did everyone act like it was something you were supposed to enjoy? Cath thanked Emma again and started the fifteen minute walk back to campus with Luke.

"She seems nice," she ventured.

"I think she is. I mean, I don't know her super well, so if she ends up being a total psycho, then I'm not responsible for putting you in this situation."

"Duly noted."

"You could get a bike when it gets warmer. That would make getting to campus faster."

"I could. Or maybe a moped. Then I wouldn't have to break a sweat."

"Or a unicycle. That would really keep it interesting."

Cath got back to dorm and prepared to throw the rest of her clothes into a duffel bag. She'd been planning to call her dad and ask him to come with the car. She didn't really have anyone else to ask. She was surprised when Emma had called and offered to come get her stuff. "I remember those freshman days," she said, "It felt like campus was an island and there was no way to get off."

She was packing up her last pairs of socks when Levi walked in. "I heard from Reagan that you're leaving," he said.

"Yup," Cath said. She didn't really feel like she owed him any more of an explanation than that.

"Cath, I know about what happened at the party, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such an idiot. I'm sorry for making you think, whatever you thought, but you shouldn't feel like you have to move out. I'll stop coming over. You don't have to leave."

"Will you stop eating my food, too?"  
"You found out about the diet bars, huh?"

"Someone else was obviously eating them and I didn't think it was Reagan."

"Yeah, totally, no more food stealing."

"Levi, it's not really about that. I don't know why I even brought it up. This about me being comfortable. I want to feel like I can relax and be calm when I come home. I just don't feel that way here. You are always here. You're a nice guy. You might be the nicest guy I know, but I'm sick of being around you all the time. Just because you and Reagan are friends does not mean that you have a 24/7 invitation to be here. Doesn't that seem like common sense to you? Why don't you go the fuck home when Reagan's not here? And why do you have a key? Why would there ever be a reason for you to be here when she's not here? You do not live here."

Cath had no idea she'd been holding all that in. She really did think Levi was nice. A while ago she might have thought he was more than nice, but now she just wanted him gone. Levi looked surprised and it made sense. How could someone that nice think that not everyone wanted to hang out with him all the time? "And you owe me for the diet bars. Taking my food was not cool." That was it. Cath had officially lost her mind.

"Yeah," said Levi, not meeting her gaze, "You're right. I'll pay you back for those. See you around, Cather."

He left and Cath was stunned. She couldn't believe that had just happened. Had she just voluntarily engaged in conflict? This had never happened before. She needed to tell someone. Normally she would tell Wren, but since that wasn't an option, she texted Abel _. I just told my roommate's boyfriend to go home and that he owes me for eating my food._

Abel responded, _I'm sorry, who is this? I was under the impression this was Cath's number._

 _Fuck you, Abel._

 _LOL! Someone is on a roll! Go get 'em, tiger._

Cath smiled. It felt good to talk to someone who knew her well. She was really glad she and Able had patched things up. _Do you know if Luke ever mentions me to Matt?_

 _I'm glad you and I are cool again, but I am so not having this conversation with you. Go text a lady friend._

The next day Cath trying to decide the most aesthetically pleasing way to fit all her Simon Snow posters on four walls when Emma knocked at the door. "There's a new episode of _Supernatural_ tonight. Maggie and I usually make popcorn and watch it together. You're welcome to join."

Cath nodded and said she would. What was happening? Was someone actually inviting her to hang out without implying that she was pathetic or because they wanted something from her? A little while later her phone rang. She was startled. No one actually called her. She got texts from people and she called her dad, but no one called her. It was Wren.  
"Hey," her sister chirped.

"Hi," Cath said guardedly.

"How's everything going?"

"Fine. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I was wondering if you wanted to get some ice cream tonight in the dining hall."

Cath could tell something was wrong. Wren wouldn't call if she was fine. "Sure. What time?"

"Around 8?"

Cath cursed under her breath, "I actually have plans tonight at 8. I'm watching _Supernatural_ with some friends. Could we do it sooner?"

There was a long pause and Cath was sure Wren was too shocked to speak. "Yeah, totally. What about 6:30? We could get some dinner, too, if you want."

Cath shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Normally she would be thinking about how there were too many people in the dining hall, but tonight she kept thinking about how she had to make the walk back to her new apartment alone in the dark. "What's up?" she asked.

Wren snorted, "You say that like you know something is."

Cath wanted to say that Wren wouldn't have called her otherwise, but she kept her mouth shut. Her newfound boldness didn't apply to situations involving Wren. Instead she said, "Where's Courtney tonight?"

Wren scowled, "She had other plans for dinner."

"Okay,"Cath couldn't care less what Courtney was doing.

"Mom wants me to go on vacation with her over spring break," Wren blurted out.

Cath glared at her sister. At this point, she shouldn't expect more form Wren, but she did. "Okay," she said again.

"She and her husband and step kids are renting a vacation house in Aruba for the week. She says there's plenty of room." Cath continued to stare at her, wondering where this could possibly be going, "There's plenty of room for you, too."

Oh. That's where it was going. "I already have plans for spring break," Cath said.

Wren snorted again, "Cath, wandering around the house in old t-shirts and visiting food trucks with Dad don't count as plans."

Cath was a little offended. Sure, she was going to do those things, but she had some other things in mind, too. She and Able had talked about doing a Chuck Norris movie marathon. "I'm going on a road trip with my boyfriend." The words were out before Cath had a chance to fully think them through.

Wren raised her eyebrows, "You're doing what with who?"

"I'm going on a road trip with Luke. He's my boyfriend."

"When did this happen?"

"We've been talking about it for a few weeks. We decided we didn't want to spend the whole break sitting at home."

"No, I mean, when did you get a boyfriend and not tell me about it?"

"When do you tell me about anything?" Cath challenged. She felt her face getting hot. "This is exactly what you said you wanted. You said you wanted us to meet different people and try new things. Going on a trip is my new thing. Drinking until you pass out is your new thing."

Wren looked dumbfounded. Rather than escalating things like Cath expected, she changed the subject. "Where are you going?"

Cath blurted out the first destination she thought of, "Las Vegas."


	7. The Man with the Plan

A/N: Sisipho, thank you for the feedback. This next chapter is for you.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Fangirl_. I'm just a fangirl.

Chapter 7: The Man with the Plan

Cath's brain was going a thousand miles an hour. She had no idea where this had come from. She and Luke hadn't made any plans for the break. She didn't know what had possessed her to tell such an outrageous lie. Maybe she didn't want to have another fight with Wren about how she should give Laura another chance. Maybe she was tired of being treated like the parasitic twin. Maybe she just wanted to say something crazy. Whose fault was it really that Wren didn't know anything about her plans? If she'd been any kind of a sister lately, Wren would have known she was going home to Omaha for break. What else would she be doing?

Wren nodded, apparently satisfied, "Laura's leaving on Saturday. I'll tell her you can't make it."

"Great," Cath said.

"Where did you meet this guy anyway?"

"Why do you say it like that? I meet people." Wren gave her a long look. Cath laughed, "Okay, no I don't. Abel introduced us. He's a friend of a friend of Abel's."

"You and Abel are hanging out again?"

"Yup."

"Why didn't you tell me this?!" It was Cath's turn to give a long look. Wren sighed, "Point taken. Tell me about him."

"His name's Luke. He's a sophomore chemical engineering major. He lives in a single in Rutledge." She could talk about Luke for hours, but she wasn't sure how much she wanted to share with Wren.

After dinner, Cath texted Luke. _I don't want to bother you, but do you think you could walk me home? I just had an emergency meetup with my sister and I don't want to walk back alone in the dark._ She felt silly putting that in writing. If it were anyone else, she would walk back alone and be terrified, but she knew Luke wouldn't think she was silly. He worried about a lot of things, too. They weren't necessarily the same things that Cath worried about. He never seemed afraid that they were going to be raped and murdered on their way somewhere, but he calculated his grades and G.P.A. on spreadsheets. He checked his bank balance every day and his room was probably cleaner than some hospitals. She thought he was perfect and he agreed to walk her home.

She broke the ice with, "I lied to my sister today."

He laughed, "Awesome." She must have looked horrified because he followed it up with, "What? She's been horrible to you lately. You should get some revenge."

"You don't even know what I told her yet."

"I'm hoping you're working up to telling me."

"I told her that you and I are going to Vegas over spring break."

Luke laughed a truly amused laugh, "Wow, that was not what I expected."

"I was so mad at her. We never talk and then she called and I made this long trip to campus. When I got there she tried to pressure me into going a spring break trip with my mom. It was a defense mechanism. I made up this trip so that she would think I had a legitimate reason not to go stay in some Caribbean villa with our mother and her new family."

"Why did you feel like you needed an excuse? You don't owe your mom or your sister anything. You're not obligated to go on family vacations with people you don't even know."

Cath sighed, "I know you're right. I should feel that way, but I'm so used to her being the rational one. She was always the one who talked me out of my crazy thoughts. It's weird to have thoughts that are the opposite of hers, but still completely sane. I can't wrap my head around it. And I'm sorry about making up this trip. It was a weird thing for me to say."

"I think we should do it."

"Okay, never mind. I'm completely sane. You're the crazy one."

"What's so crazy about taking a spring break trip? People do it all the time. It's a rite of passage. Plus, we live in Nebraska. Who wouldn't want to get out of here for a week in March?"

"Isn't Vegas like an eighteen-hour drive?"

"Yeah, I think we should fly."

"Who are you, Scrooge MacDuck? Fly is expensive."

"Not necessarily. Have you ever flown anywhere on Allegiant Air? They're a discount airline and a student's best friend. They do non-stop flights a couple of times a week to big tourist destinations. If you can fly on a random day, you can find some pretty insane deals."

"Why do you know about this?"

"Let's just say I spent a lot of time last year wishing I was somewhere else. Let's look at flights when we get back to your place."

It turned out they could fly to Vegas on Tuesday and come back on Thursday for the bargain price of $100 each. Cath was shocked. She had that much money left over from Christmas. She was skeptical about finding a hotel room, but Luke told her he had it covered. "We can stay at the Holiday Inn by the airport." Cath raised her eyebrows at him. "What? My parents went to Vegas a couple of years ago and stayed there. I know it's clean and not too expensive. My mom wouldn't have it any other way."

They looked into it and found out they could stay for $100 per night. That was $100 each for the two nights. Cath was surprised again. She hadn't been on a trip since she and Wren had gone to visit Aunt Lynn in Chicago sophomore year. She couldn't remember ever staying in a hotel. "What are we going to do in Vegas?" she asked, realizing that she was actually looking forward to going. "I heard that they won't even let you into the casinos if you're under twenty-one."

"Were you planning on doing a lot of gambling?"

"Oh yeah. Go big or go home. Then I thought we'd spend our winnings on hookers and blow."

"Okay, someone has watched too much _Breaking Bad_. Hookers and blow?"

"You just can't keep up with my street smarts. I know what's up."

"Right."

"You know what the best part about this is? Okay, not the best part, but still a really good part? We can still go home for the rest of the break. It's going to be great."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to holing up in my room and reading some Spock/Kirk fics. What? I'm not being sarcastic. That's what I do when I go home. It's like meeting up with old friends."

"You're so cool, Brewster."

"Way to slide in that 80s cult film reference. We can still do stuff. I mean, I don't think either of us were planning on drinking a lot, right? I've never been, but it seems like going to Vegas is like doing a whole world tour. We can go to Fake Paris, Fake Venice, Fake New York. Whatever we want."

"What about Fake Egypt and Fake Medieval Europe?"

"Yes, we can definitely do that, too. Two days is plenty of time do all the fake things we want."

"I can't wait to go on this fake journey with you."

"Thanks, Babe. And Cath?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry about the hotel room, okay? We'll get one with two beds. Nothing has to happen. I mean, unless we want it to happen. Which I guess we could decide we wanted. But probably not, right? We're on the same page about not being ready for that to happen, right?"

Cath wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "We're on the same page. I think we're heading that direction eventually, but not yet and not on this trip."

"Honey, I know you're old enough to make your own decision, but please take my advice and do not get drunk married in Vegas. I don't want you to ruin your life."

"Dad! That's such a weird thing to say! No one is getting drunk married. We're just going on a fun trip. We thought it would be nice to get out of Nebraska for a couple of days. We're not even going to be gone that long and I'll be home the rest of time."

"I have to admit I'm floored, Cath. First, your sister tells me that the two of you are going to Aruba with your mom and then you say you're going to Vegas with your boyfriend. I can't keep up with you girls in my old age."

"Dad, you're in your forties. You're not old and I was never going to Aruba with Mom. I can't believe Wren told you that. She just assumed that I would do whatever she was doing."

"To be fair, you are going to UNL."

"Ouch, Dad. You don't have to remind me of what a total copycat I am. At least I haven't cut my hair to match hers. Yet."

"I'm proud of you, honey. This is a big step for you. Speaking of big steps, do I get to meet this Luke person? And what are the sleeping arrangements on this trip?"

"Dad! Why are you so awkward? Yes, you can meet Luke when you take me to the airport. We're sharing a hotel room with two beds. Now can we please stop talking about this?"

Cath waited in silence with Wren and Courtney for their dad to pick them up. They clearly hadn't worked out whatever had happened between them and Cath was enjoying it. Wren kept trying to make small talk, but Cath kept giving short responses. She wasn't sure she wanted to engage with Wren. It would only last until someone better came along. She was starting to figure out that Wren wasn't loyal that way. She was surprised to see Luke approaching, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. She liked the way he bounced on the balls of his feet as he walked. Cath never would have thought she'd like a toe walker, but he made it look cute somehow.

"Hey Cath," he said. She gave him a wide smile.

He extended his hand to Courtney, "You must be Cath's twin," he said. Cath laughed and punched him in the arm. "Okay, I was kidding." He turned to Wren, "Hi, I'm Luke." Wren shook his hand mutely as their dad pulled up.

Luke introduced himself as the girls put their bags in the trunk. Luke tapped on the top of the car with his fist, "See you in a few days, Cath." He waived as they drove off. Cath belatedly realized that she missed him. Wren and Courtney were quiet on the drive home, but for once Cath didn't feel awkward. She didn't care what they were doing. She asked her dad about his work and how Grandma was doing. She talked about Luke and her new roommates.

"Why would you want to move out in the middle of the semester?" Courtney asked suddenly, "Wasn't it a big inconvenience?"

Cath was surprised she'd spoken. "It was worth it. I hated living in the dorm. I was stressed out all the time. I never knew when my roommate would be home or how much alone time I could expect. I just wanted to feel like I had some privacy again. I love having my own room and my own bathroom is like a little piece of heaven. My new roommates seem cool. I actually like hanging out with them because I know I don't have to do it all the time."

Cath texted Abel that night when she got home. _What day do you want to do Chuck? I'll be gone Tues-Thurs._

He texted back. _How about Monday? I'm working at the bakery this weekend._

 _Sounds good! Go roundhouse kick those customers into submission._


	8. The Trip to Vegas

A/N: This is for WarriorAngel1806 and SisiphoWrites. If you're still reading this, thanks for the feedback.

Summary: Cath and Abel watch Chuck Norris movies and then she and Luke take off.

Chapter 8

Cath sighed contently as she reached over into the popcorn bowl and watched Chuck Norris roundhouse kick a machine gun out of another bad guy's hands before he could fire. His movies are all so bad, Cath thought. This was exactly how she wanted to spend her spring break. She and Abel were camped out on the couch in her living room, a bowl of Orville Redenbacher's movie theater butter popcorn between them. It felt like the last few years had never happened.

"Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Abel asked.

"What elephant?"

"About you and Luke going on a spring break trip."

"Why do we need to talk about that?"

"You're just the last person I would ever expect to do that."

"It's not like it's a partying trip. We're just going to walk around and see all the hotels and stuff."

"Right. You're going to Vegas, but you're not getting into anything questionable."

"Exactly. This is me we're talking about."

Abel gave her a long look, "Good point," he said finally. "So what are you guys planning on doing and why did you pick Vegas?"

Cath sighed and hit the pause button on Chuck. "We're literally planning on walking around and seeing all the themed hotels. Other than that, I don't know that we have any plans. We can't drink. We can't gamble. We don't know any hookers. What else do you do in Vegas?"

"Are you guys sharing a room?"

"Yeah, but it has two beds. Why are you being weird about this?"

"I'm not being weird about it. I'm just surprised. Taking a trip didn't seem like something you were ever interested in doing when we were dating."

She was starting to see where this was going. "There were a lot of things I wasn't interested in when we were dating. I'm sorry, Abel. I know I was a shitty girlfriend. You were my comfort zone. When I was with you, I wanted to stick with what I knew. You know how much I hate trying new things."

"Yeah, I know."

"What about what's-her-face? Your new girlfriend? Does she like trying new things."

"Not really. Actually, all she ever wants to talk about are grades and tests. She wants to go to medical school and she obsesses about it. It feels like she never wants to just hang out. I mean, she's a nice person, but maybe she's not the person I want date."

"Yikes, I'm sorry, man."

"Thanks. It's okay. I mean, college is about trying new things. There are other girls that I'm on friendly terms with. If we broke up, I don't think I'd be totally bereft of other options."

"I had no idea you were such a romantic."

"Shut up. It's not like you were the Juliet to my Romeo."

"I'm more like the Steven Segal to your Jean Claude Van Dam."  
"Do they even know each other?"

"Does anyone really know anyone?"

"I don't know why I hang out with you."

"Because you're not 'on friendly terms' with that many people around here."

After he went home, Cath realized she actually felt bad for Abel. She should make it a priority to be nicer to him, at least for a while. She couldn't even remember his girlfriend's name. She'd certainly never asked how things were going between them. She hadn't wanted to pry, but she saw now that it probably looked like she didn't care. And she did care. He was pretty much her only friend from home. She made a mental note to pay more attention to what was happening in his life. It was the least she could do. She'd never cared about him like a boyfriend, but that didn't mean she couldn't pay attention to him like a friend.

A text from Luke came in later that night. _Are you ready for the big trip tomorrow?"_

Cath typed, _As ready as I'll ever be_ , but then she deleted it and said, _I was born ready_

She wasn't though. She wasn't sure she was ready for it at all.

Cath played with a hangnail while here dad drove her to the airport. She was so nervous. It wasn't as bad as going back to school. Going back to school was the worst kind of nervous, but this was pretty bad. What if they didn't have a good time? What if Luke realized how lame she was and never wanted to hang out again? The more rational side of her brain said that even if it was the worst trip ever, it was only for two days and she would be home soon. She tried to keep it in perspective.

Luke was waiting for her in the parking lot when her dad pulled up to the airport. He had his regular school backpack slung over his shoulders and he was wearing his usual jeans with a classic rock t-shirt.

"Hey Mr. Avery," Luke said as they climbed out of the car.

"Hi Luke. It's nice to see you again. I probably don't need to say this, but you two be careful. Don't do anything stupid."

Cath felt her face getting red, "Dad, we'll be fine."

"Don't worry, sir. We'll use good judgement."

After a quick hug goodbye, they were off to the ticket counter. Allegiant was too cheap to invest in screens for automated check in. "I can't believe we're doing this," Cath said.

"Me neither. I'm kind of excited." Cath shot him a sideways glance. "Okay, I'm kind of terrified. I've never flown anywhere without my parents. I know that sounds retarded."

"No, it doesn't. The only place I've ever flown is Chicago to visit my aunt. I'm not exactly a world traveler. My dad felt like it was a milestone when I finally got my driver's license."

"You've always been a homebody, right? Just like me."

"Exactly. I like being home, so why should I try to be somewhere else?"

"Did your dad teach you and Wren how to drive?"  
"He taught Wren. Abel actually taught me. My dad is a nervous driver and it made me too freaked out to drive with him."

"You and Abel were pretty close in high school, huh?"

Cath thought about it, "Yes and no. We hung out together a lot, but it was usually in a group with Wren and whoever she was dating. I never realized how much I liked hanging out with him until Wren and I started fighting. I know it sounds terrible, but I think I took him for granted. It felt like he would always be around, like the couch. It took me a while to realize that I missed him as a person and instead of that I just wanted things to be like they were last year."

She was worried that Luke might feel jealous of Abel, but he just smiled at her. "It's good to realize who your real friends are. My best friend from high school stopped returning my texts right after he came out of the closet last year. I was pretty mad about it, but then I ran into him at the grocery store over Christmas break. I was like, 'Dude, what's up? I thought we were friends.' He said that he didn't want people to think I was gay because we hung out. I told him I wasn't worried about it. He's still my bro, you know. I don't care if he wants to bang other dudes."

"Did you guys go back to being friends?"

"Totally. And sometimes people from our high school make gay jokes if we run into them around town. Who cares? They're not the people we want to hang out with anyway."

"Wow, you're a really good friend."

"Maybe. I just don't have that many of them, so I try to hold on to the ones I do have. Speaking of friends, how's living with Emma going?"

"It's great. I can stay in my room all day if I want and never talk to anyone. I never have to wait to take a shower. It's better than what I had at home, if I'm honest. I never minded sharing a room with Wren, but now that I have my own, I'm not sure that I'd want to go back."

"What about your other roommate? Is she nice?"

"Yeah, Maggie's nice, too. She's not home that often. She stays over with her boyfriend a lot. Did I tell you what happened the other night?"

"I don't know. That's not a very detailed description."

"Right. Sorry. Emma and I were sitting in the living room watching the Hallmark Channel and this enormous white rabbit came and just hopped across the room."

"Were you guys dropping acid?"

"No! We were both like, did that really just happen? How did that thing get in here? And then Maggie came in and was like, 'Sorry, guys, this is Chuckles. My sister has been overfeeding him since I moved out and I didn't want him to like die an early death from heart disease, so I brought him back with me, at least until I can get him back to a healthy weight.'"

"Was the rabbit really that fat?"

"Have you ever seen the old movie, _The Blob that Ate Everything_? It was like that."

"Yikes. It sounds like she's right to be concerned."

"Definitely. It was just hilarious that she didn't mention anything and then he just came into the living room and she was like, oh my bad. So now Chuckles, the fat rabbit, lives with us. We have to be careful not to leave anything with a chord laying around because he'll chew it."

They talked through the whole flight and before they knew it, they were in Vegas.


End file.
